Syria troops, allies retake most of last IS-held town: monitor

Syrian troops and allied fighters advanced Saturday to capture most of Albu Kamal, a monitor said, in a tug-of-war over the Islamic State group’s last urban stronghold in the country. The town in Syria’s oil-rich Deir Ezzor province has changed hands several times, with government troops announcing its capture but losing it to a blistering IS counter-attack a week ago. Syria’s army and Lebanese, Iranian and Iraqi loyalists re-entered Albu Kamal two days ago and by Saturday had taken most of it from IS, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.